


Witty Puns

by gilliandersob



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Episode: s07e07 Orison, Gen, season 7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-10
Updated: 2014-06-10
Packaged: 2018-02-04 03:42:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1764385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gilliandersob/pseuds/gilliandersob
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after the events in Orison, Mulder and Scully try to relax at Mulder's apartment. It's fairly fluffy, but I like it.<br/>[SPOILER WARNING: I wouldn't read unless you've seen the episode!]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Witty Puns

As Mulder left, he flipped on the television so she’d have something to watch. He tossed her the remote and told her he would be back soon.

He had to make a trip to the grocery store. Scully’s presence in his apartment required that he have something to eat other than week old Chinese takeout and a sour carton of milk. She had volunteered to go with him, but he had insisted that she stay on the couch and try to relax.

She was secretly nervous, but didn’t want to let him know, so she relented and sunk down on the couch, remote nearby. As the door clicked behind Mulder, she brought the collar of her pajama top up to her nose and sniffed.

It smelled of nothing. She was half surprised; she felt filthy, even though she had taken a shower before leaving her apartment. She backed up to the arm of the couch - by the fish tank - and brought her legs up, straightening them in front of her. She knew her ankle would be sore for a while, and she tenderly touched her swollen lip with her tongue every so often. She rolled up her pant legs and stared. Her knees were bruised as well.

She scrunched her upper lip, bringing it towards her nose in a face of digust. She was not feeling it yet, but she knew she would be pretty stiff by morning. She’d been through more painful experiences, had worse external wounds. She couldn’t get rid of the smell, though - the smell of Donnie Pfaster as he leaned in close to her, sniffing her hair. She shuddered and turned towards the televison in an attempt to distract herself.

Wheel of Fortune was on. Scully sat up and faced the television, placing both feet on the coffee table and thought to support her sore ankle with a pillow. The middle contestant had owned the game, and was about to play the bonus round.

Scully’s mind drifted again, as a commercial break was announced. Her earlier conversation with Mulder coming to the forefront. She had murdered a man in her apartment just a half hour earlier, and was still trying to process it. When she had pulled the trigger, she hadn’t been thinking of anything other than to keep Pfaster from hurting her again. In the aftermath, though, she couldn’t help feeling guilty. His back had been turned toward Mulder. She had snuck up on him and hadn’t even warned him. It was all wrong. She had wanted only to make sure he didn’t get away. Her surival impulse had kicked in, though, and she had pulled the trigger.

Point blank range.   
With no warning.

She shivered and pulled the blanket from the back of the couch, wrapping herself like a burrito.

I hope Mulder gets good food, she thought. She didn’t know if she could survive on instant mac and cheese and beer.

The sound of the door unlatching made her jump a little, and she saw that Mulder had only run to the convenience store nearby, grabbing some sodas and chips to snack on.

"I thought we may just order a pizza, if that’s okay?" Mulder asked as he walked in.   
He placed the bags down on the coffee table, avoiding Scully’s legs.

"Um, sure, that’s fine with me." Scully’s attention was already taken by the T.V., though. The contestant was picking her letters for the bonus round. The game gave her R, S, T, L, N and E.

"W!" the woman said loudly. She had two consonants and a vowel left.

"D! P!" she said again, and immediately Pat Sajak reminded her of the vowel.

"I!" The choices had been made and the contestant had ten seconds to guess the puzzle.

Scully knew it right away. The category was “THING” and it was a very short phrase.

"WITTY PUNS!" Scully and Mulder yelled at the television in unison as the woman’s ten seconds were up.

"I can’t believe she missed that," said Mulder as he reached for the phone to call for pizza.

"No olives, please." Scully requested, and she moved to make room on the couch for Mulder while she opened a Coke.

She felt protected from everything right then. Mulder had her back, had told the police at the scene that it had been self-defense, and at some point she had to make herself believe that, too. It was, in truth. Pfaster had attacked her in her own home after escaping from prison. She had the brusies on her knees, the sore ankle, and the wrecked apartment to show for it. She cringed now to think of the cleanup job.

Mulder hung up the phone and sat next to her. Jeopardy was coming on next.

"I’ll bet you the cheetos and the ginger-ale that the old lady in the middle wins this game," Mulder challenged.

"My money’s on the professorial looking guy on the end, there. Bowtie and all!" Scully grinned.

She took a deep breath and knew Mulder noticed the sigh. She didn’t care. She wanted to relax, wanted to think about things other than the day’s events.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I’m fine." she answered, and went back to watching T.V.


End file.
